Memoria [EN] No 61 (10/2022) | Page 8

“When people visited a museum or learned about the Holocaust in school they not only knew much more and cared much more,” Steven Cooke underlined, “but these experiences also shaped the way they viewed the world. The work ahead of us is understanding the relationship between education and potential changes in thinking and behaviors, as well as figuring out how to increase that number of people.”

With 79% of those who had learned about the Holocaust at school agreeing that these lessons had had a lasting impact on them, it is likely that current initiatives to strengthen these programs and institutions will have an effect well into the future.

Researchers stressed that policymakers and leaders in civil society should see the Gandel Survey as the starting point for activity. They made eight recommendations based on their analysis of the findings:

1.Include the Holocaust on the curricula of Australian states and territories, and support teachers with ongoing accredited professional development;

2.Develop strategies to drive engagement with Holocaust museums, memorials and educational institutions;

3.Research, create, and distribute specific resources to address gaps in Holocaust knowledge, especially the period 1933-1939, and as it relates to Australia;

4.Develop a research agenda to understand the long-term impact of Holocaust education in schools and museums;

5.Challenge antisemitic myths and stereotypes in education through support for education programs;

6.Improve communication over the need for annual commemorative activities;

7.Provide opportunities for students to engage with Australian Holocaust survivor testimony;

8.Repeated cross-sectional research on Holocaust knowledge and awareness.

More information about the researchers’ recommendations and the Gandel Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness in Australia Survey’s findings can be found here.